The thoughts and musings of a man at the precipice of middle age, starting from his 50th birthday.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Freedom Ballet

It is like a ballet.

Standing next to the bike, I reach across with my right hand and place it on the handle bar and slowly squeeze the brake. I throw my right leg over the bike and lower myself on to the bike straddling it. I put my left hand on the handle bar and turn the front wheel to the right and using my left foot I push the kick stand backwards and out of the way. I can now feel the weight of the bike and know I control it. I reach down with my left hand and turn the gas lever to the on position, then I turn the key to the on position. With my left hand on the handle bar I squeeze the clutch in and with my right hand I push the kill switch to the on position and then push the starter. I feel the engine start below me, I can feel the vibrations of it on the insides of my legs as I turn the throttle a few times with my right hand. Using my left foot I press the gear lever down until it clicks into first gear and then I start to release the clutch while turning the throttle to rev the engine. As I feel the bike hit the friction zone I lift my right foot up and put it on the foot peg and turn the throttle a little more gas to start forward motion. As I start to roll, I lift my left foot up and place it on the foot peg, position my toe under the gear lever, and release the clutch with my left hand to fully engage the gear. As I move faster and the timing is right, I squeeze the clutch again with my left hand and lift my left toe to put the bike in second gear. As soon as I feel the gear click into place I slowly release the clutch with my left hand. I feel the stability of balance and power as I move forward more quickly and embrace the freedom that riding brings.